lurgie - ride or rest?
Just wondering what the opinions are.
I caught some sort of virus or cold a couple of days ago (tired, off-balance, coughing, sneezing, etc..). What's best? Should I watch telly for a couple of days or struggle through some easy rides to keep things going?
This came home with my 11 year old son, who was sick for a week and had a couple of days of school.
My wife then caught it. As she is diabetic, this then becomes a couple of weeks, that eventually finishes in the doctor prescribing antibiotics.
Any thoughts?
I caught some sort of virus or cold a couple of days ago (tired, off-balance, coughing, sneezing, etc..). What's best? Should I watch telly for a couple of days or struggle through some easy rides to keep things going?
This came home with my 11 year old son, who was sick for a week and had a couple of days of school.
My wife then caught it. As she is diabetic, this then becomes a couple of weeks, that eventually finishes in the doctor prescribing antibiotics.
Any thoughts?
0
Comments
-
In these cases you're body often knows best regarding what's good for it - if you feel you can manage an easy ride, then, by all means, go for it. I do emphasise the "easy" part, though.
Resting heart rate is another good guide - a much faster pulse than usual is an indication that your body's struggling enough already with the stress of the infection so you don't want to put it under additional pressure.
Also, IF YOUR SYMPTOMS INCLUDE FEVER, DO NOT RIDE.0 -
Rest until you feel better basically. Still just snotty, then fine, ride easy, anything more, and rest! I say this because some 3.5yrs ago I rode when under par - rode hard - and from that I never recovered and developed Post Viral Fatigue (also known as ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). Not wishing to scare you, but I had the opportunity to listen to what my body was telling me that day, and I didn't, and I've not ridden a bike since due to the ensuing poor health.
0 -
Well, Sunday afternoon I was feeling really bored and it was overcast but warm.
So I did a gentle 30 miles, going a couple of mph below my normal, and generally quite flat.
I actually feel much better after the ride, only effects I noticed were that the normal aches and pains seemed a bit worse and maybe some extra numbness in the hands and feet.
I think the advice to listen to you body is spot on.
I've generally found that when cycling regularly, I get over colds, etc in a couple of days. In those years off, recovery takes twice as long (or more).
Also there is a big difference for what I assume is the same bug between an otherwise healthy 11 year old and me at 53
- nintendo syndrome? 0 -
And I'd add - if you've been pretty ill - allow more than a couple of days for recovery...La cucaracha wrote:In these cases you're body often knows best regarding what's good for it - if you feel you can manage an easy ride, then, by all means, go for it. I do emphasise the "easy" part, though.
Resting heart rate is another good guide - a much faster pulse than usual is an indication that your body's struggling enough already with the stress of the infection so you don't want to put it under additional pressure.
Also, IF YOUR SYMPTOMS INCLUDE FEVER, DO NOT RIDE.
A few years ago, I was pole-axed by some sort of bug and felt feverish and really crap for about 5 days. I waited until 2 days had passed when I felt okay and then headed off on my bike up one of the steep hills out of Hebden Bridge. I lasted less than 10 minutes... I started to feel so ill that I realised I was in danger of crashing and did an emergency stop. I staggered across the road and chucked my bike over a dry stone wall to hide it. I then started to climb over the wall but blacked out. I came round about 15 minutes later lying in a pile of leaves on the other side.of the wall. I was sweating heavily but shivering. I got my bike back on the road, freewheeled home and went back to bed. I was ill for another week.
If in doubt, err on the side of caution!0 -
I generally try a steady turbo session following any illness before venturing out on the road. There's lots of advantages - you'll soon find out if it's only runny-nose stuff, you're not going to get caught in rain/wind/cold or end up pushing yourself harder on the hills than you should be doing.
Plus if you've returned too early all you have to do is get off the bike and stagger into the shower/bed, which isn't so easy to do if you find you're knackered and still 20miles from home.0
